BUT A POOR REFLECTION: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Cor. 3:6

Often evangelical Christians like myself are accused of being 'fundamentalists'. Truth be told, I do hold on to some fundamental certainties, but I don’t want to use a single Bible text out of context to make an undeniable ‘truth statement’. In fact, it is very dangerous to use God’s Word as a source for snappy one-liners! So if you want to ponder about the Verse of the day – please feel free to check out the entire context here!

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” Please also read this quotation in its context and prayerfuly ask God's Holy Spirit to guide you through his Word. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart!

2 comments:

Cori said...: I like how you differentiate between standing for certain fundemantals but not necessarily reading the Bible in a way that may be described as fundamental.

A little while ago I was challenged by someone regarding my involvement in the emergent movement which is popularly understood to be in the business of deconstructing and questioning the fundamentals. He said to me, at the end of the day, he wants to believe in something worth living for and worth dying for. That's how absolute and certain and fundamental it needs to be!

And at the core, he said, that which is worth living and dying for is Jesus. All the bells and whistles of our faith may be challenges and reconsidered but the 'fundamental' or 'abolsute' of Jesus stands and stands and stands!; 11/04/2006 6:13 pm
Paul said...: Thanks! Couldn't agree more, Cori!
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12
Living, active and sharp... I like that! Doesn't sound dull at all!

I think the emergent movement is trying to recapture the essential message of Christ. It's about living the Christian life 24/7 - and I like that radical approach. I am happy to be part of a more formal faith community, but I think that the emergent movement is doing the work that the 'official church' is often neglecting. We are all part of the Body, right?

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8 Blessings!; 11/04/2006 7:22 pm

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God loves us

Have you ever wondered why God gives so much? We could exist on far less. He could have left the world flat and grey; we wouldn’t have known the difference. But he didn’t. He splashed orange in the sunrise and cast the sky in blue. And if you love to see geese as they gather, chances are you’ll see that too. Did he have to make the squirrel’s tail furry? Was he obliged to make the birds sing? And the funny way that chickens scurry or the majesty of thunder when it rings? Why give a flower fragrance? Why give food its taste? Could it be he loves to see that look upon your face?

Max Lucado - He Chose the Nails

Sadhu Sundar Singh

I do not condemn theologians wholesale, but it is unfortunately the fashion in Western thinking to doubt and deny everything. I protest this tendency. I never advise anyone to consult theologians, because all too often they have completely lost all sense of spiritual reality. They can explain Greek words and all that, but they spend too much time among their books and not enough time with the Master in prayer. It is not that I oppose all education, but education without life is certainly dangerous. You must stop examining spiritual truths like dry bones! You must break open the bones and take in the life-giving marrow.

Oswald Chambers

In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. "The clouds are the dust of His feet" (Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds— He does not come in clear-shining brightness. (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, July 29th)